Monthly Archives: July 2014

It may seem odd, but one of the fastest growing segments of the auto industry is that of the compact cargo van. FCA isn’t just sitting idly bye as this segment continues to grow either. They are jumping head first and offering one of the best compact cargo vans for the money, the Ram ProMaster City.

“As businesses strive for lower costs, the demand for a smaller, more efficient van has increased and Ram Commercial is answering the bell with the all-new ProMaster City,” Reid Bigland, President and CEO — Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC said in a Chrysler press release. “Years ago, the selection of delivery and cargo vehicles was limited and those offerings didn’t focus on cost of ownership. Today all of that has changed with the recent introduction of the full-size Ram ProMaster, and the now the Ram ProMaster City.”

As Bigland said, there is now a renewed focus on the cost of ownership of a cargo van or fleet of them. One of the biggest costs considered is fuel. That is why the Ram ProMaster City has been outfitted with a 2.4-liter Tigershark I-4 engine, the same one found in popular models such as the Chrysler 200, Dodge Dart and Jeep Cherokee. Additionally, it has been made the world’s first commercial van with nine-speed automatic transmission and the ProMaster City, as with all Ram trucks, comes with a five year/100,000 mile warranty.

While we here at Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram don’t typically carry commercial trucks like the 2015 Ram ProMaster City, we offer a car finder form, which will allow us to help you get your hands on the highly anticipated compact cargo van without searching all over the state.

Hell hath no fury like a 707 horsepower engine… But the new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat does! There are few vehicles coming to the market that are more highly anticipated than the 2015 Dodge Challenger. Specifically, the aforementioned Challenger SRT Hellcat trim and its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Hellcat engine is what is creating the majority of the buzz. We suspect it might have something to do with the fact this engine produces a whopping 707 horsepower stock.

America’s most powerful muscle car ever was just given a price tag by Dodge and for a cool $60,000 it could be yours. If you prefer to think about it this way, according to a Fox News article, it will only cost you about $5,445.54 per second that it takes to accelerate this beautiful piece of machinery down a 1/4 mile strip of blacktop – 10.8 in all.

Dodge didn’t just announce the Hellcat pricing though, information on all 2015 Challenger trim levels is now available in a Chrysler press release.

“The Dodge Challenger has been on a tear – setting an all-time sales record in 2013 – its fifth year on sale,” said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO – Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC in that press release. “For 2015, the new Challenger is the most powerful muscle car ever, the fastest muscle car ever, and now our icon is also the most capable and technologically advanced ever, with a starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $26,995.”

So while the $60,000 price tag of the Hellcat might not be for everyone, we’re sure you’ll be lining up at our doors or shopping the Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram inventory online to get your hands on some of the more economical trims.

While we’re just a little bit removed from Tennessee, we found this great article that we had to write about and begin hoping that it becomes a law here in Michigan as well. The article asks the question, “What should I do if I see a child locked in a hot car?” Tennessee has passed a law that you are now able to legally break into a car to save that child.

“I hope this law brings awareness to parents to, number one, not leave their child in a hot car,” State Rep. David Hawk told TODAY Parents. “But if that does occur in Tennessee, I want our citizens to be aware that they have the ability to take action, to be a Good Samaritan and to save that child without fear of repercussions.”

According to KidsandCars.org, a total of 44 children in the U.S. died of heatstroke in cars. We hope that by helping to spread the word about this law and the tragedies it will help us to prevent future deaths. We are especially moved to write about this as there have already been 16 such deaths this year.

The founder of kidsandcars.org is Janette Fennell. In the same TODAY parents article, she suggested people be proactive in handling the potential life-threatening situations that are becoming all too common.

“If you spot a child alone inside a car, call 911 immediately, she recommends. If the child looks in serious distress, check to see if there’s any way to get into the car and if not, try to figure out which window you could break so the glass doesn’t harm the child,” Fennell said.

While there may not be such a law in Michigan as there now is in Tennessee, we here at Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram hope we have helped do our part to ensure a child is never left in a hot car anywhere, but especially in our community.

Raise your hand if you have an iPhone… Okay we’ll just have to assume a lot of you raised your hand. It is one of the most popular smart phones on the market. Now raise your hand if you drive a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram? Again we’ll just trust that most everyone reading this raised their hand. Why are we asking these questions? Well Apple announced that CarPlay will be featured in future models of each of these brands.

That means that the easy to use touch screen and apps you love about your iPhone will now be available in your car. Not to mention if you have an iPhone it will seamlessly connect without any issues. Specifically, according to a 9to5mac.com article,

“The [CarPlay] feature supported in iPhone 5s/5c/5 running iOS 7.1 or later integrates apps like Phone, Messages, Maps, and Music to built-in infotainment displays and car audio systems. Functionality from these apps can be controlled by voice commands and in-car controls as well as by the dash display rather than by the iPhone.”

While we don’t yet know what models will get the feature or on which trims it will be standard equipment, it is safe to assume that any model that came standard with touch screen capabilities will be getting CarPlay moving forward. And with a host of great apps like Beats Music, Spotify, Stitcher, MLLB at Bat and more to come, it is a change we’re sure you’ll welcome and be coming to see us at Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram to make sure you can get it.